


A Beautiful Song

by AxiomAutomata



Category: NieR: Automata (Video Game)
Genre: Discovery, Music, Weight of the World — Song, Writing Exercise
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-13
Updated: 2017-03-13
Packaged: 2018-10-04 04:29:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 622
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10268258
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AxiomAutomata/pseuds/AxiomAutomata
Summary: A2 finds a curious relic from the past.





	

A2 stood on the ruins of an old, crumbling building, her eyes scanning the horizon. The wind blew through the trees and the gaps in the building’s windows, creating high-pitched whistles that resonated through A2’s sound processors.

Ever since she had cut herself off from YoRHa three years ago, A2 had been wandering the Earth below, constantly on the run. Despite what some may have thought otherwise, she actually didn’t find it quite as bad. Perhaps it was thanks to her status as an Attacker model that allowed her to survive down here, where the machines roamed, mercilessly attacking anything in sight.

Finding nothing of interest from her vantage point on the rooftop, A2 nimbly leapt down, landing safely on the ground. Standing up again, she sprinted off in the direction of the streets, silently revelling in the sudden burst of energy.

For felt like an eternity, all that could be heard was the footfalls of an android jogging in the wide, empty streets and the rustling of the wind in the trees.

Then, something else drifted by.

A2 came to a halt as her processors picked up another sound. It cut through the breeze, as if calling to her.

_Music…?_

The sound was coming from somewhere near one of the buildings, to her left. She looked around, then walked into the thick underbrush. The music, sputtering at intervals and cutting out altogether at others, seemed garish. Yet she was drawn to it.

A2 finally found herself standing in front of particularly thick patch of grass, tucked away in the shadows of the concrete building. There, nestled inside, was a rusty, oddly shaped box, from which the music was blaring. She reached down and picked up the box, examining its features.

The box was outfitted with various knobs, buttons, and switches, most of which had broken off or were too rusty to work properly. What surprised A2 the most, however, was the discovery that after sitting out in the elements so long, the power button had stopped working. In other words, there was no way to turn it off.

That would’ve been fine for A2 if it wasn’t for the fact that in the ten minutes she had been examining this device, the damn _noise_ blaring out of the speakers had been ever so gradually draining her curiosity, replacing it with sheer annoyance. She gripped the box tightly above her head, ready to smash it flying against a nearby wall.

And as she did, she unknowingly pressed a button, and the music abruptly changed. The grating, screeching music stopped, and was replaced by something else.

Surprised, A2 lowered her hands and stared at the box.

The music that emerged was much more calm. Soothing, in fact.

As she listened, A2 felt her frustration melt away. The singing, in particular, held her rapt. It was in no language she had ever heard before, and yet it carried a particular weight to it. The android closed her eyes and let the music wash over her auditory processors as a sense of peace and fulfillment enveloped her.

It was like floating in pure light.

 

* * *

 

A2 finally opened her eyes to find herself staring straight into the rays of the sun.

Blinded, she turned to the side, giving her visual processors a few seconds to adapt. As she did, A2 was dimly aware of the final notes of the song fading, leaving her surrounded by the ruins of the cityscape.

She stood up and looked at the box again.

It had played its last song, for her.

Turning, A2 looked at the path ahead, dappled in both light and shadow. She took a deep breath, and stepped forward, walking out into the ruins of the city.

**Author's Note:**

> Song: Weight of the World — Nouveau-French Version (Emi Evans)  
> Artist: Keichii Okabe  
> Album: NieR: Automata Original Soundtrack (2017)


End file.
